W.A.S.T.E. Walk Swap
Once you have completed a W.A.S.T.E. Walk, the next way to identify even more opportunities is to find another organization, and swap places.
This allows a fresh set of eyes to come to your location and see things that you are too accustomed to looking at. It’s best to select an organization that is different from yours, so that they can really challenge what you do, and why you do the things you do.
An Energy Walk Swap, conducted as part of the US Department of Energy Better Buildings Challenge SWAP, was setup between Whole Foods and Hilton Worldwide.
According to their website, here is a breakdown of the 3 day session:
- The teams spent the first day and a half doing a full examination of the systems at Whole Foods Market Ocean Avenue. We then did the same at Hilton Union Square. (video #1 and #2)
- The walk-throughs at each property reviewed everything from lighting, HVAC, and energy management systems, to customer and employee engagement. They also included a “night walk” in each facility to uncover additional energy saving opportunities when operations are slowed down for the evening. (video #4)
- Then at the end of Day 3, we moderated the “SWAP unveil” where each team discussed their SWAP observations and recommendations to their counterparts. (video #3)
This SWAP was captured in TV show format, and is available for free. There are now 4 seasons in total as of late 2022:
- Season 1: Whole Foods and Hilton Worldwide
- Season 2: U.S. Air Force and Naval Academies
- Season 3: Atlanta and Boston
- Season 4: General Motors and L’Oréal USA
A detailed summary of season 1 is shown below…
Video #1: Episode 1 – Hilton Visits Whole Foods
Video #2: Episode 2 – Whole Foods Visits Hilton
Video #3: Episode 3 – The Unveil
Video #4: Bonus Episode – Night Walks
As a result of the SWAP, a list of recommendations were developed.
Have you performed a SWAP? If so, let us know how it worked out. If you’d like to conduct a walk with another organization, we can help find you an organization to partner with.
